Radio socket



Feb. 5,' 1935. H. NICHOLS Er AL.

RADIO SOCKET Filed Jan. l2, 19,31

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Patented Feb. 5, 193s UNITEDy STATES PATENT OFFICE 1,990,007 mimo socxE'r.

Application January 12, 1931,1seria1 No. 508,018

2 Claims.

v radio tube sockets so as to insure eicent contact with each and every prong oi a radio tube, and

to thereafter .maintain such efficient connection.

A further object of the invention is toprovide a grounding link or connector strap for a conductor member of a radio tube receptacle.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing wherein apreferred embodiment of one form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawing: f

Fig. 1 is a bottom plan View of a radio tube receptacle illustrating the instant invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view illustrating in longitudinal section a conductor member forming part of the instant invention.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view in longitudinal section, substantially as indicated by the line and arrows 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view substantially as illustrated by the line andarrows 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a detail view of an elementv contributing to the instant invention.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view in section, substantially as illustrated by the line and arrows 6-6 of Fig. 1.

With particular reference 'to the drawing 20v indicates a base of nonconducting material, providing apertured attaching ears 21 and 22 by l which the tube receptacle may be secured to a base or chassis'of a radio receiver orlsimilar apparatus. The base is provided with a desired number of' tube prong receiving apertures 23, 24, 25, 26 and 27, depending upon the character of the tube for which the socket is to be adapted, in the present instance a five-*prong tube receptacle being illustrated. Mounted on the base 20, there are provided conductor members 28 so adapted and positioned as to be disposed over each of the prong receiving apertures of the base and to engage the respective prongs of a radio tube when so inserted. Each of the conductor members 28 is essentially the same and therefore a description of .one will suflice, and that description will follow in due course.

Each oi the conductor members 28 is secured to the base 20 in any preferred manner, butin the present instance is accomplished by a rivet 29 passing through the base and a portion of the conductor member, and housing its head turned over as-,at 30 so as to maintain the conductor in rigid relation with the base, and with the contacting portion of the conductor disposed over its respective prong receiving aperture. In one or more instances a connector strap is inserted between the base 20 andthe conductor member 28 as is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 6. This provides an eiiicient and simplified means of Vgrounding or otherwise making connection with, or providing an accessible connection with one or another of the conductor members 28. In the illustrated instance, the strap 35 is led laterally of the conductor member and has one end disposed over one of the attaching ears as 22 of.

the base where it is apertured coextensive with the securing aperture of the base as of 36. In practice the strap 35 may be adapted to one or more, and to any desired ones of the conductor members, but in the present instance it is illustrated as having connection with the terminal member 28 disposed over the prong receiving aperture v'23, and provides for grounding that conductor to the chassis frame by a rivet, screw or other attaching means to be passed through the apertures 21 and 22 by which the receptacle is to be supported.

The conductor member 28 is of the form illustrated, beingfabricated from sheet metal, and comprises a bridge portion 40 provided with an up-standing T-shaped leg 41 in parallelism with a cruciform shaped leg 42, substantially as illustrated in Fig. 2. eral extensions' 43, while the cruciform leg has its .oppositely extending limbs 44 bent through anacute angle at 45 so as to provide the coextensive contacting portions 46 lying beneath the lateral portions 43 of the T-shaped arm 41..

The terminal ends of the portions 46 are dared outwardly at 4'7 to provide ready reception for the-prongs of the tube to be inserted and the said arms 44 lie suillciently close to the upright of the leg 41 and beneath the portion 43, to be retained thereby and yet to be capable of relative approach and separation.v The continuing arm of the cruciform leg 42 is bentto a desired angle out of the plane oi.' the upright, and'pierced at 48 so as to leave an integral tongue 49 to facilitate .the attachment of desired leads. I

In conductor members of the type just described it is vpreferable to use a metal of high been found thatthey are of insufficient resiliency The T-shaped leg has the lating good electrical contact with the prong with which they may come into engagement during all conditions of adaptability. A reinforcing -spring 50 is therefore added to the conductor `member and-this reinforcing spring comprises the disclosure herein set out. The particular form of conducting spring to be used is clearly set out in Figs. l, 3 or 5, and embraces a member of high resiliency which' may be` of spring brass,

bronze or tempered steel, and fashioned into theV contour illustrated in Figs. 3 or 5.

rThe spring is fashioned to a cardiodal form, i

but essentially provides a middle bend 51-that recurves by the reverse bends 52 to 'join the arms .53,which converge suillciently that they will substantially meet at the tips in the free position.' Thus, when the terminating free ends thereof are adjusted about the prong receiving portion of the conductor member, the contactingv portions 46 of the prong receiving arms will be engaged and forced together toward the axis of the prong receiving aperture. When the reinforcing spring is thus adjusted the tension will be suicient to draw the middle bend 51 closely against the leg 42 of the conductor so that the spring will be inengagement with the conductor 52 has been sharp, or where the bend 51 has been absent, the bending of the spring between the exing arms and the bridging portion of the spring has been so acute as to result in a considerableamount of breakage of the springs when applied to the conductor member, or if not then broken to be subsequently broken while in service. ,This high casualty or percentage of breakagehas been traced to the rupture of the metal or afracture` of the particles at the said sharp bend, which short bend evidently strained `ihe material of the spring beyond its elastic limit and by reason thereof the spring was sus' ceptible to breakage'far beyond an economical degree.v Y

Fig. illustrates a form oi reinforcing spring including a slight modification in which the spring 50a is provided with the arms 53a of slight inward curvature, thus increasing the tension of the spring arms and more evenly distributing the flexing of the spring when it is applied Aside from this the to the conductor member.

l Y v 1,990,087 to retain the iiexing properties n for maktwo forms of spring are structurally the same and are identical in operation in that the sharp bend 51 lies against the back of the conductor member or in other words is in engagement with the cruciform leg 42 while thespring arms 53 or 53a as the case may be substantially embraced and have their terminating free ends engaging the prong engaging POrtions 46 ofthe conductor member, and thus urge those contacting portions into and maintain positive communication with the said prongs. The amount of separation of the engaging Portions 46 isgof lessmagnitude than vthe cross section of the tube prongs with which they are adapted to engage, and consequently when a radio tube is inserted in the receptacle the prongs passing through the apertures of the base thence engage the contact portions 46 and force them outwardly, or separate them, against the reinforcing spring. This results in a exing of the arms from the free end throughout the greater portion thereof and which is subsantially distributed over the arm from the free end to the reentrant' curve or bight 51. There being no sharp bend in the junction of the spring arm and bridge portion the breakageoi springs is practically eliminated, andfa prong contacting member is provided that always insures the best conductive engagement with the tube prongs.

With the provision of the connector strap, means are aiected by which the selected prong is readily connected in a desired circuit, at the instant of mounting the receptacle.

While the form of embodiment of the present invention'as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow. Y

What is claimed is as follows:

1. In a radio tube socket providing conducting members for engagement with prongs of a tube to be received, the combination of a reenforcing spring substantially embracing the said conducting member and urging the same into en-` gagement with a tube prong, said spring comprising a pair of opposing arms joined by a. recnirant curved portion.

2. In a conducting member for a. radio tube socket, and in which said member has a pair of arms adapted for engagement with a tube prong, the combination of a reenforcing spring having a reentrant bridge portion joining a pair of converging free ends, said free ends engaging the arms of said conductor to insure electrical engagement between the arms and tube prong, the

exing of said spring being distributed thereover vfrom vthe free end to the reentrant portion of the Same.

HARRY J. NICHOLS.

HERBERTV'L. BRUMP. 

